FEATURES

  1. RANKED: De Zerbi, Fabregas & Chelsea's potential Maresca successors

    We're only halfway through the season but Chelsea are looking for a new manager, after parting company with Enzo Maresca on New Year's Day. On the one hand, the Italian's exit is a surprise, given he won both the Conference League and Club World Cup during his first season at Stamford Bridge. However, it had been clear for some time that Maresca wasn't entirely happy in west London, with the former Leicester City boss sensationally going public with a perceived lack of support within the club after last month's Champions League loss to Atalanta.

  2. Why Man Utd & more want Hertha's teenage Kroos regen

    Hertha Berlin fans haven't had much to cheer about in recent years. Their decade-long stay in the Bundesliga ended after the team slumped to an 18th-placed finish in the 2022-23 season, just four years on from Lars Windhorst's €224 million minority takeover that came with the billionaire's promise to build a "true ‘big-city club’, like those in London or Madrid."

  3. RANKED: 11 most disappointing EPL signings of the season so far

    Premier League clubs splashed out £3 billion ($4bn) on transfers in a record-breaking summer window, more than those in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A combined, with Liverpool accounting for £415m ($561m) of that eye-watering amount on the back of their 2024-25 title success under Arne Slot. Mega-money was also spent by the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Fulham the only three clubs to invest less than £50m ($67m) in strengthening their respective squads.

  4. Haaland fluffs his lines in costly draw for City

    Manchester City lost crucial ground to Arsenal in the Premier League title race as they could only manage a 0-0 draw away to Sunderland. Pep Guardiola's side had a poor first half and Erling Haaland had a bad day at the office, only having one proper chance which he sent straight at Sunderland's superb goalkeeper Robin Roefs. Gianluigi Donnarumma was even more impressive down the other end.

  5. Wirtz & Ekitike fire blanks in Liverpool's drab draw with Leeds

    Liverpool extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven games on New Year's Day but Arne Slot's ragged Reds continued to flatter to deceive in a drab 0-0 draw with Leeds United at Anfield. Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz had looked lively in the opening half hour on Merseyside, with both going close to breaking the deadlock. However, the English champions had run out of ideas by the final quarter of a largely uneventful game and Leeds looked to have nicked all three points through in-form forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin - only for the former Everton striker to be flagged for offside after hooking the ball into the net.

  6. Top women's free agents who could move in 2026

    With women's football in most countries on its winter break, it is prime time for clubs, players and agents to sit down and sort out contracts. But while there are some names entering the final six months of their current deals who many would be shocked not to see renew with their current teams, there are also plenty of others who are likely to be seriously considering other options in 2026.

  7. Top 10 players whose contracts expire in 2026

    The January transfer window has become an increasingly frugal period in modern times, as leading clubs largely save their pennies for extravagant summer splurges. Instead, many will be looking to the free-agent market and the possibility of laying the groundwork to sign a potentially key player for absolutely nothing. As it stands, there are plenty of big names who could be available on a free transfer in the summer.

  1. RANKED: Top 10 January signings in EPL history

    January is often described as the grimmest month of the year, but it can also be a time of renewal, a moment to make a fresh start. And for football clubs, the opening of the January transfer window provides an opportunity for clubs to breathe new life into their disappointing campaigns and invest for the future.

  2. Seven games unbeaten - but are Liverpool really improving?

    Liverpool host Leeds United on Thursday, less than a month since their last meeting at Elland Road. An awful lot has changed in the interim, though. Back on December 6, it appeared as if the wheels had well and truly come off Liverpool's season, with Mohamed Salah sensationally accusing Arne Slot of throwing him under the boss by once again benching him for a 3-3 draw that saw the Reds twice throw away the lead with more woeful defending from Ibrahima Konate & Co.

  3. Gabriel is BACK! Arsenal sparked into life as Villa crushed

    Gabriel Magalhaes breathed fresh life into Arsenal's Premier League title challenge by opening the scoring in an emphatic win over Aston Villa on Tuesday. The defender's goal at the start of the second half sparked the Gunners into life, with Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus also on target to hand Unai Emery's side a first defeat since November 1st.

  4. Estevao deserves better! Teen stars but Chelsea held

    Chelsea's disappointing recent run of results continued on Tuesday as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Bournemouth in the Premier League. All four goals came during a madcap opening half-hour, with Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez on target for the Blues as they were made to pay for their failure to deal with the Cherries' long throws.

  5. LEGACY: Germany's long search for their next great striker

    This is Legacy, GOAL's feature and podcast series following the road to the 2026 World Cup. Every week, we dive into the stories and the legacies that shaped football’s greatest nations. This time we turn to Germany, a nation once famed for producing the world’s deadliest strikers. From Gerd Müller to Miroslav Klose, the No.9 shirt was a symbol of power, precision, and pride. But since 2014, it’s become a question mark, a reflection of a team still searching for its next great finisher, and perhaps, for its own identity.

  6. Football's 20 biggest winners and losers of 2025

    New Year's Eve is almost upon us, meaning 2025 is about to be consigned to the past - but how will it be remembered by the football world? It was certainly an unforgettable year for some players, coaches and clubs. Paris Saint-Germain, for example, finally got their hands on the trophy they craved above all others, the Champions League, thus vindicating a sensible change in recruitment strategy by the club's owners, who went from signing superstars to investing millions in youth.

  7. Emery set for ultimate revenge for Arsenal sacking

    There have been so many compelling storylines to entertain the world so far this season as we reach the Premier League's halfway point. Liverpool's inexplicable collapse after winning the title and splurging over £400 million in the summer. Sunderland's remarkable return to the top flight after nearly a decade away. Whatever the heck is going on at Manchester United. And then we have Aston Villa.

  8. Wirtz, Mou and the weekend's biggest winners & losers

    A lot of leagues and competitions take the festive period off but there was no break for players in England, Italy and Portugal over the weekend, while the action at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco resumed on December 26. The Premier League's top two, Arsenal and Manchester City, both picked up hard-fought wins on Saturday but Aston Villa remain very much in the title race after a massive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

  9. 10 stars who could make big-money January transfers

    The January transfer window is fast approaching, and clubs will once again be scrambling to strengthen for the second half of the season. In the 2025 winter market, £1.2 billion ($1.4bn) was spent across Europe's top leagues and the English Championship, the highest mark in seven years, with Manchester City accounting for £191 million ($256m) of that amount alone.

  10. Maresca loses it as Villa stage Stamford Bridge comeback

    Chelsea threw away a commanding position as Aston Villa stretched their winning run to 11 games, thanks to an Ollie Watkins brace in a 2-1 comeback win. Joao Pedro put the Blues into a deserved first-half lead but a wretched second half from Enzo Maresca's side put paid to their faint Premier League title ambitions as Watkins stole the show on Saturday night.

  11. Wirtz scores first goal as Liverpool secure nervy win

    Liverpool moved into the top four with a nervy 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have set the record for the longest winless start to a Premier League season following their latest defeat. Florian Wirtz scored his first goal for the Reds, while Ryan Gravenberch found the back of the net for the first time since November, as Arne Slot's side earned all three points at Anfield.